Fashion retailer H&M has merited the ire of the Internet after a photo of a black boy wearing a green hoodie with the words "coolest monkey in the jungle" surfaced online.

Many consumers reacted to the photo on social media, describing it as tasteless or worse, offensive.

In a statement, H&M said it agreed with those who were "upset about the image".

"This is how we should represent our men as kings thank you!", one person said, while another added: "Yaaass, you're so, you're so, you're so AWESOME!"

H&M removed the item from its website after hundreds of social media users accused the ad of being racist. "This image has been removed from all online channels and the product will not be for sale in the United States". We will also look into our internal routines to avoid such situations in the future.

The apology came after several shoppers and commentators had slammed the company over the slogan.

As of Monday morning, the clothing giant's website still features the hoodie, but without anyone wearing it.

Someone else wrote: "No doubt the H&M monkey hoodie photoshoot was organised with completely innocent intentions but in today's outrage society you have to triple check everything you do".

This is not the first time that a major company has been skewered for using racist or insensitive advertising.

Share this:

Hot News

GoPro shares dive as it cuts staff, exits drone marketJan 09, 2018 - 00:26
The news comes after word leaked last week that GoPro was about to lay off more than 250 workers from its aerial division. According to CNBC , no sale can be assured, and it's unclear whether anyone has made an offer to buy GoPro .

North Dakota State takes back FCS title, tops James Madison 17-13Jan 07, 2018 - 04:38
NDSU finished plus-2 in turnover margin, including two interceptions that both came with James Madison in scoring position. You could feel the air leaving the stadium as the Dukes brought the punting unit out with just over three minutes to play.

Assam's first draft of NRC identifies 1.9 crore as Indian citizensJan 02, 2018 - 10:36
It covers 1.90 crore people out of total 3.29 crore applicants, who submitted their documents to include their names in the NRC. Assam has been driven into a conflict between the permanent residence and those who have migrated from Bangladesh.

Dom Capers, Packers' defensive boss since '09, firedJan 02, 2018 - 10:35
Capers had been the defensive coordinator with the Packers since 2009, helping the team win a Super Bowl during the 2010 season. In 2014, the Packers led Seattle, 19-7, with three minutes left in the NFC Championship Game, but eventually lost on overtime.

Death toll from Iran's anti-govt protests rises to 15Jan 02, 2018 - 10:34
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani sought to downplay the significance of the protests in a cabinet session Sunday. One police officer was killed and three others injured during protests in Najafabad city near Isfahan.

Texans likely to keep Bill O'Brien as head coach, sources sayJan 01, 2018 - 00:21
If there is room for only one, the Houston Texans reportedly plan to retain head coach Bill O'Brien over his boss this offseason. O'Brien has received public endorsements from Watson, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney.

Maine's minimum wage to increase to $10 an hourJan 01, 2018 - 00:20
Ohio's hourly minimum wage is about to rise again, with the rate going up by 15 cents an hour Monday from $8.15 to $8.30. Cathy Young, R-Olean, and Goodell for making sure the increase to $15 is phased in over the next few years.

Instagram is integrating recommendations into user feedsJan 01, 2018 - 00:19
They'll see things from their wider network, too - not entirely different from Facebook's new Explore feed , in fact. It didn't confirm when that rollout would complete and become available to all of Instagram's user base.